Texas Misses SNAP Benefits Deadline, Impacting 3.8 Million Children – What’s Next?

Texas Misses SNAP Benefits Deadline Already, Texas has failed to secure federal funding for the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer program, leaving 3.8 million children vulnerable to summer food insecurity. This program is essential to school lunch-dependent families and monthly grocery benefits to alleviate hunger during the school holidays. Unfortunately, Texas has now missed this critical support for two consecutive years.

Why It Matters

Hunger among children is already a pressing issue in Texas, a state with one of the highest food insecurity rates in the U.S. According to Feeding Texas, nearly 23% of children in the state go hungry. This should be alarming in the eyes of any rational person if we compare it to the national average of food insecurity with Texas being almost 5% higher. The Summer EBT program, which would have provided $120 for each child over the summer months to low-income families, could have been the lifeline they had needed.

The failure to meet the deadlines set by the federal government ends up affecting the health of the children in Texas. The likes of Brian Greene, chief executive officer of the Houston Food Bank, explain that when children live under chronic food insecurity, delays in development take place: health issues and long-term educational setbacks. They may unwittingly endanger the future workforce and bring about a decline in the economic growth of the state.

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Food Insecurity

Texas’ food insecurity problem is not new. The USDA’s data for 2021-2023 shows that Texas ranks second in the nation for food insecurity prevalence. The issue disproportionately affects children, with many families depending on free or reduced-price school meals to meet their nutritional needs.

Texas Ever Wide Program-EBT of Summer extension, instituted in 2022, was created to deal with that particular challenge. It estimated $450 million in aid for qualifying families in Texas to fill those gaps in summer days when school meal programs aren’t running. For the last two years, Texas has lost out on opportunities to access potential aid totaling in millions of dollars.

Child Hunger Rates US Average
% of Children Experiencing Hunger 23% 18%
Overall Food Insecurity Rate 16% 11%

Impacts

Failure to implement the Summer EBT program reinforces pressure on food banks and nonprofits that are already working at their maximum capacity. Local organizations such as Feeding Texas and the Houston Food Bank must fill the void. These efforts, however done, won’t come close to what federal funding would have provided for that scale of support.
The $450 million that could have benefited Texas families in 2024 would have supported thousands of children during their most vulnerable time of the year. Without this aid, families will struggle to afford basic groceries, further widening the hunger gap in the state.

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The Way Forward

While the state missed the federal deadline for 2025, advocacy groups like Feeding Texas are urging lawmakers to act. The Texas Legislature has until March 1 to direct the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to implement the program. Advocates argue that prioritizing children’s well-being is a moral obligation and an investment in the future.

Public pressure is mounting, with calls for policymakers to recognize the importance of programs like Summer EBT. If Texas fails to act again, millions of children will continue to face hunger, while the state risks long-term developmental and economic consequences.

Protecting children from food insecurity is not just about filling bellies—it’s about building a stronger, healthier, and more prosperous Texas. Let’s hope that the state seizes this opportunity to make a difference.

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